Dragon Age: Campfire Tales  Irresistible
by beanball
Summary: The Warden takes his witch into the village to shop as only Morrigan can, which leads to revelations about herself and their relationship.


**Campfire Tales -**

**Irresistible**

Morrigan walked into the bedroom and went over to the large window. She grasped the curtains in her hands and yanked them wide apart, bathing the entire room in the bright morning sunshine. Sunbeams filled the room, washing over the bed and shining light on a lump buried beneath the thick blanket.

The witch stood next to the bed, smiling wickedly. She reached out and pulled the blanket back, exposing The Warden who was jarred awake by the brightness hitting his face. His eyes popped open and he blinked a few times while his mind came to grips with having been yanked from its slumber.

"'Tis time to wake, my love. We've much to do today." the witch said with a smile.

He looked around the room, still not entirely awake, and asked with a groggy voice, "What?"

"Hurry and get yourself dressed. _You_ are taking me shopping in the village."

"Huh?" he said, still not realizing.

"Several of the shops have been rebuilt and have since opened. You are going to take me to them. There are items I require."

"What items?" he asked as his eyes continued to blink the sleep away.

"I could do with a new pair of boots, and some skin ointment." The witch said as she sat down on the bed next to The Warden, who was still desperately trying to find a way to avoid the light beaming into his face.

"Seth is in need of new clothing, as well. Your son has outgrown nearly everything he has."

"Get Leliana to take you...she likes that sort of stuff." he muttered as he rolled back over and stuck his head under the pillow.

"Leliana isn't here. You are, however." She reminded her warden.

He let out a deep groan from beneath the safety of the pillow, "Awwwgghhhh... do I have to?"

She leaned over and wrapped her arms around him, squeezing tightly and began to beg, "Please please please please please..." she repeated quickly, over and over. "Take me to the village. You might actually surprise yourself and enjoy it."

"Fine." he grumbled. "I'll take you shopping."

"Thank you, my sweet. I shall be waiting for you. Do hurry." the witch said in a cheery tone as she left the room, having gotten her way yet again.

The Warden pushed the blankets back off of himself and sat up, grumbling the entire time, "Stupid village...damn shopping...dumb boots..."

If there was one chore The Warden hated above all others, it was shopping. He so reviled the process that he often cooked up ingenious methods for avoiding being drawn into it; usually passing the deed off onto the bard, Leliana, who was more than willing to take Morrigan on her errands, generally to the dismay of the witch. His schemes were often amazing in their complexity, and he would pat himself on the back for his ingenuity. Most of the time, though, he would do more work trying to get out of going shopping, than if he had just gone.

That wasn't to say he didn't enjoy buying things for Morrigan. He did. The Warden was always presenting the witch with trinkets and baubles of one form or another. So much so, that the witch harbored a collection of nearly every type of trinket in Ferelden. However, there was nothing so boring as waiting endlessly in the same shop for hours on end while his witch tried on every pair of footwear in the place. If there was a section that contained items he thought interesting, then at least the experience was bearable. But generally it involved him standing around while she carefully inspected item after item, asking his opinion on nearly everything, then completely disregarding it while she looked at something else.

But Leliana wasn't here to save him. She had gone off with Zevran in search of Maker knows what, leaving him on his own to have to deal with the dreary exercise. There was no way out of it. He was going to have to take Morrigan into the village. Secretly he prayed for the darkspawn to invade.

They arrived in Highever to see new buildings and shops being constructed at a feverish pace. The village had risen from the ashes and was more grand than ever before. Where there were once piles of soot and debris, now stood proud new structures of stone and wood. One of the newest was the cobbler's; their first stop. The Warden hopped down from his steed and secured it to a hitching post. He then turned to help his witch and their son down from the horse, after which, all three went inside.

Once inside, Morrigan immediately set about browsing the shop, with Seth in tow. One of the cobbler's assistants, a young man in his early twenties, came over to tend to the witch. She directed him to several pairs of boots and slippers for both she and her son. The man obediently did as asked and went to fetch Morrigan the desired items. He returned a few minutes later with his arms full of various types of shoes. He passed the witch pair upon pair for her and Seth to try out, while The Warden stood a few feet away with his arms behind his back, twiddling his thumbs impatiently.

"These shall never do." she said, discarding the first pair. "And these are simply dreadful." she remarked about the second.

And so it went. The witch had the poor man bring her nearly every shoe, boot, or slipper in the entire shop, and each time she turned them away for some flaw. And with each rejection, the shopkeeper became more visibly aggravated.

"'Tis entirely unacceptable." she huffed, "Do you expect my son and me to go around barefoot? Have you no items of quality in this shop? Go, fetch me more."

"Yes, my lady." the man said as he left with a bow.

"Morrigan...be nice." The Warden said as he cast a stare at his witch, "the man is just trying to do his job."

"I _am_ being nice." she retorted, "Were I to say how I really feel, the shopkeeper would forever close his doors in shame."

Just then, Morrigan spotted a pair of ankle-high boots that caught her attention. They were made of a soft brown leather that was folded over in a cuff at the top. The only problem was that they were piled beneath a large stack of shoes and boots on the top shelf across from her. A slight gleam appeared in the witch's eyes and a wicked smile crossed her face.

"What are you scheming in the head of yours?" The Warden asked as soon as he saw her look, instantly recognizing it.

"What makes you think I am scheming anything at all?" she asked, innocently as she stood from the small bench and went over to the tall set of shelves in front of her..

"Because I know you."

"I am merely looking, nothing more." she assured as she reached up with one hand to the nice boots and wiggled them forward to the edge just a bit, while she carefully held the others that lie on top, leaving the entire pile even more unstable than it already had been.

"Hmm." she muttered as she keenly eyed the stack while she back down next to Seth, who had grown as impatient as his father and was starting to squirm in his spot.

The shopkeeper came back with several more pairs of footwear in his hands and set them down on the floor beside the witch. She began shaking her head and said, "I want to see that pair, the one on bottom." pointing at the desired boots.

"Those?" the man asked, nervously.

"Yes...those." the witch confirmed.

The man reached up to snatch the boots from the top shelf. As soon as he pulled them free, the entire pile above came crashing down on top of the poor man. His arms went over his head in defense as heavy boots and shoes tumbled all around him, with many thick souls hitting him. The witch cast her warden a satisfied grin while the man uttered more than a few choice words.

"Damn these damnable things!" he exclaimed. "In all my years I've never seen such insanity! That nearly knocked my damn head in!"

"Well, you should be grateful they did not strike you in the mouth." Morrigan quipped, "Otherwise you would not have been able to say such colorful things."

The man could only stand there, totally befuddled and at a loss for words.

"Now that I've had time to think about it, I believe I like the first pair you showed me best."

After the obviously infuriated man dug through the pile and located the very first pair and they were purchased, Morrigan took the boots and her son and left the shop, leaving The Warden to make extensive apologies as he handed the poor man a few extra sovereigns for his troubles. Before walking out, his eyes wandered to the pile still lying and the floor. He could only shake his head as he pushed the door open and exited, wondering just how long it would take the man to clean up the mess, as he joined his witch and Seth outside.

They continued the rest of the day, going from shop to shop, where pretty much the same experience was repeated. Morrigan would inspect almost every item in the shop, only to turn them all away in favor of one of the first items she selected or nothing at all. And every time there was a flustered shopkeeper who usually had a sizable mess to clean up. But when the day was done and the trio made their way back to the cottage, they had actually been able to procure the items the witch desired. That fact alone surprised The Warden more than anything else. For who else but his witch could go shopping and leave such a trail of destruction and shattered lives in her wake?

"Admit it, you enjoyed yourself today." Morrigan said as she wrapped her arm around his as they walked into the cottage, him carrying several large bags.

"I enjoy spending time with you, not watching you wreak havoc." he replied as he cast her a stern look. "Do you have any idea how many apologies it's going to take me before they even let you back into Highever?"

"Bah!" Morrigan quipped, brushing his words aside, "'Twas no havoc wrought, I assure you."

"Morrigan...you made the tailor cry."

"'Twas entirely of his own doing. He should have been more careful with his shears."

"And what about the lady at the general store?"

"She should not have been trying to spray such a foul fragrance in my face."

"You _told_ her to spray it, remember?" The Warden reminded his witch as he set the bags down on one of the tables.

"Is simply stating my preference to the shopkeep so wrong? Would you rather I accept flawed merchandise that I am not pleased with?"

"That's not the point and you know it. " he said as he pulled a dark ale from its spot in the case and popped the cork from it.

"So you intend to get drunk, do you? Is that your answer to everything?" she hissed with a scowl.

"I'm just having one. Stop trying to shift the focus." he said.

The witch's eyes fell to the floor and she clasped her hands together in front of her. She bit her lower lip slightly while the same uneasy feeling she always got when she was sure she had disappointed him started to create a pit in her chest as it crept over her.

"Are you angry with me?" she asked weakly.

He approached her and gently grabbed her arms, rubbing his hands up and down, "No...I guess not." he replied, "It's just that...I just wish you were more polite to people. Sure, Alistair and Leliana I understand, but everyone else? I just want people to see you the way I do, that's all. I want them to see how wonderful you really are."

Her gaze rose to meet his, her golden eyes shimmering in the soft light, "They shall never see me as you do, my love. Even I wonder upon it, myself." she said. "I do not treat those people as I would you, because _they are not you_. Perhaps you should accept that I am the vile person they claim me to be."

"But that's not who you are." he replied.

"Perhaps 'tis you who are wrong."

Morrigan sighed deeply and said, "I must put Seth to bed. We can finish our discussion later."

"I'll be out back." The Warden informed as he opened the rear door and went outside to the fire pit in the back of the property, leaving Morrigan and Seth alone in the cottage.

Morrigan stared at her tired son, who stood at her feet covered in the clothing he had pulled from the bags on the table while no one was looking. "Come, my darling. 'Tis time for bed." she said to him, picking the articles of clothing off of him and reaching out for his tiny hand.

"I'm not _tiiiired."_ he replied through a deep yawn. "I wanna stay up."

"No, my dear. You must go to sleep. Let's get you washed up and tucked in."

Leading Seth by the hand, Morrigan brought him into his bedroom where she helped him wash up and get his bedclothes on before she placed him in his bed. She sung him a soft lullaby, which soothed the child and his drooping eyelids finally closed.

The witch bent over her son and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. "I love you, my darling. And I shall tell you as much everyday until you understand what you mean to me." she whispered.

Morrigan grabbed a thick, heavy shirt and wrapped it around herself to protect from the chill of the night air. She opened the door to the back of the cottage and joined her warden outside, who was sitting at the edge of the fire he built with his back leaning up against a large log.

She watched him silently for a bit. As she did, her mind went to all the places she could think of to find some reason for his complete devotion to her. Her memories traveled back years, to the start of their journey together. She mentally traced the steps in her mind looking for some clue as to what she did to make him fall for her so completely. But no matter how hard she tried she couldn't find a single reason for him to love her as deeply as he did. And he did love her, she was sure of it. In fact, she had never been more sure of anything in her life.

But it wasn't the kind of love Leliana would ramble on and on about in her stories. More than ever, Morrigan was convinced that type of love didn't exist. It was purely fantasy and nothing more. There was no such magical emotion to fill one's bosom or such a thing as a perfect fairy tale ending.

A true relationship required effort from both parties on a daily basis in order to work. It was an ever growing and ever changing thing; full of many more surprises and rewards than the bard could have known. True love is only something that comes with time, and then only after one learns how to love and be loved in return. And even though she was smitten by The Warden the very first time she laid her eyes on him, the witch didn't consider that love. It merely softened her to his advances and made her more accepting of his ways.

The witch raised her arms into the air and a soft glow enveloped her. Her form shrank down and changed and when she had finished her transformation, a small white dog stood where the witch once was.

She silently crept across the grass, being careful not to be seen by him, until she was only a few feet from the fire. Morrigan sat her hind quarters in the dirt, carefully flopped her ears back, made her golden eyes as large and sad as she could, and started to whine softly. He turned to see his witch in dog-form and he was unable to withhold the smile from stretching across his face.

"You are _bad_." he said as he held his arm out, urging her to come closer.

Instantly Morrigan sprang up and darted over to him, nuzzling herself against his warm side. He resisted the temptation to pet her, something she probably wouldn't have minded anyway, but instead stood from his spot and crouched down in front of her.

"And just what are you after?"

The little dog bounced back and forth at his feet, yapping excitedly. He took the hint, scooped her up in his arms, and lifted her into the air with him as he stood. Her long bushy tail feverishly wagged back and forth as she playfully tapped at him with her paws.

"If this is your way of apologizing, then I accept." he said while he rubbed his cheek against her soft furry snout.

A glow emanated from her body and she grew in his hands. In a bright flash, the witch resumed her human form, with him holding her in his arms and one of her arms draped around his neck, the other holding her hand against his muscled chest, feeling his warmth beneath her fingers.

"I wish to thank you, my love." she said to him softly as she rested her head against him.

"For what?"

"For seeing in me that which I could not even see for myself. For loving me as I am."

"I think you're pretty special the way you are."

"I have long ago given up finding what you see in me. 'Tis more than my beauty and power. 'Tis something which lies much deeper; something I never even knew existed."

"It's simple really." he replied, "You're irresistible to me. You always have been."

"Then take me inside and demonstrate how truly irresistible I am."

"Gladly." he said and he carried his witch back inside their cottage.


End file.
